Rain, Rain, in Love with Gray?
by Skyler99
Summary: Lucy helps Juvia overcome her shyness and approach Gray. How will this encounter turn out?  P.S. I suck at making summaries
1. Prologue

**Author's Note:** This is my first fic so go easy on me, and I'm sorry if it's lacking in, well, everything. It's based off the anime "Fairy Tail" with focus on the Gruvia(Gray x Juvia) pairing. Please leave me a review; it would mean a lot.

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><p><em>Drip, drip, drop; time came to a stop<em>

_And my facade became a prop_

_How could someone as cool as ice_

_Melt my heart, dissolve my disguise?  
><em>

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><p>"I never knew you did poetry, Juvia."<p>

The water mage turned to find Lucy standing behind her, eying the piece of paper she was clutching.

"H-How long have you been there?" Juvia asked, clearly flustered.

"Long enough to read it," the blond replied. "I can only guess that it's about a certain Gray Fullbuster. Am I right?"

"Juvia doesn't want to hear that coming from her rival in love!" She puffed her cheeks and looked away.

Lucy managed an expression between "Don't even go there, sister" and "You seriously have issues". She seated herself beside Juvia and let out a soft sigh.

"I told you I'm not your rival, didn't I?"

"Yes, but Juvia can never be too careful." She shot a glare at the stellar spirit mage.

"Quit it! I'm trying to help you here," Lucy retorted.

"Help me?"

"Look, most guys are pretty oblivious. If you don't come at them head on, they won't notice you."

The dazed expression on Juvia's face told Lucy that further explanation was needed. She crossed her legs and folded her arms across her chest as she began to elaborate.

"How will your feelings ever get across to Gray if all you do is stalk him from a distance? You need to be more... um... hands-on. Yes, that's it."

"Eh? Hands-on? But... But Juvia isn't good with her hands!" Her face turned red almost instantly, and she began waving her arms emphatically.

Lucy didn't know whether she should find that amusing or disturbing. In the end, she settled for the latter. "I think you have the wrong idea," she managed to say.

"What? Lucy's giving love advice?" Natsu blurted out from the other side of the room.

"Shut up!" Lucy snapped. Her attention was quickly diverted, though, when a familiar black-haired boy entered. She turns to Juvia, determination ablaze in her eyes. "Gray just went over to the requests board; now's your chance!"

"Uh, what should Juvia do?"

"Go on a job with him, silly."

"What? J-Just Juvia and Gray-sama?" She was looking even more flustered than before.

"You'll be fine," Lucy reassured her, giving Juvia a much-needed pat on the back.

A bead of perspiration trailed down the side of her face as she frantically made her way to where the ice mage was standing. Halfway across, she turned back to Lucy, trembling with fear. The kind-hearted blond gave her a thumbs-up and an encouraging smile, urging her on.

"Um... G-G-Gray-sama, I..." She tried her best to keep her jaw from quivering as she spoke, but failed miserably.

Gray didn't seem to notice her at all as he reached out to grab one of the requests posted. "This one seems easy enough. And the pay isn't bad either."

"W-What a coincidence! Juvia was just about to go for the same request," she said hysterically, nearly too fast to be comprehensible. But it succeeded in catching Gray's attention, and he somehow understood what she said.

"Oh," he began, "want to go with me?" His smile caused an already jumpy Juvia to turn crimson and squeal in delight.

Her heart began to race, and she found herself staring at the bemused boy. She fought off the urge to curl her lips into a smile, and bit her tongue so no more squeals could escape.

"Are you alright?"

"Juvia is... fine. No, Juvia is more than fine. Juvia is... Juvia and Gray-sama... A job... Just us..." She fumbled with the words and soon began to swoon. Gray caught her just before she struck the floor.

"Juvia? Hey, Juvia!"

From where she was seated, Lucy couldn't help but laugh. "She's gone into Juvia mode again. Good luck, Gray."


	2. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: **_Thanks to all the people who read, reviewed, and faved. You guys are the best! XD_

_This chapter kinda wrote itself, so I guess that would explain why the characters aren't quite... themselves._

_And please don't sue me for the random client character I created. Well, they needed a client or else there'd be no job. ^.^_

_Oh yeah, random NaLu(Natsu x Lucy) moment! Yay?_

_Okay, on with the story. And please leave me a review if it's not too much trouble. :)_

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><p>"Ice Make... Lance!"<p>

"Water Slicer!"

The welcoming committee turned out to be a pack of pompous Vulcans, upset at the thought of strangers intruding in their territory. Ice spears and razor-sharp torrents of water made short work of them, though, and the haughty beasts fled the scene as quickly as they could.

"Juvia thinks it's this way," the girl garbed in blue said, pointing beyond the undergrowth to where a homely cottage stood.

"Alright, let's go."

Gray started towards the cottage, brushing away the foliage. Noticing that Juvia wasn't following, he turned around and saw the girl's face turning ten different shades of crimson.

"Uh, G-Gray-sama..."

"What's wrong?"

"Your clothes..."

"Shit! I can't meet a client like this," he exclaimed, quickly hiding behind a tree to get dressed.

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><p>Lucy sighed as she draped a towel around her body. The bath had been relaxing, but not quite enough to get her mind off her rent. However, the thought quickly dissipated as she was greeted by the sight of a pink-haired boy sprawled on her bed. A blue cat was lying beside him.<p>

"Nice to see you two making yourselves comfortable," she said sarcastically. The stellar spirit mage had become rather used to Natsu and Happy making impromptu visits to her apartment.

"I'm bored," Natsu stated. "Erza hasn't come back yet, Cana and the others are just drinking their asses off, and I can't find droopy eyes anywhere."

"Gray went on a job with Juvia, remember?"

The Dragon Slayer looked confused for a while, but then his face lit up as if reality had just dawned upon him. "Hey Lucy, we should go on a job, too."

"Us? A job? Well, I do need to pay my rent and stuff."

"Great, let's go!"

"W-What? Already? I need to get dressed first!"

"I think that outfit's just fine."

"You idiot! I can't go out wearing nothing but a towel! Do you want me to go to jail?" she grunted, wondering how Natsu could say that with such a straight face.

"He likes you..." Happy teased, flying in circles above Lucy.

"Shut up!"

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><p>"A ring?" Gray and Juvia asked in unison.<p>

"Yes, a ring," a youthful gentleman replied. He took a seat between the two and pulled out a photograph from the pocket of his shirt. Though it was a bit faded, you could still see the face of a beautiful woman with long, brown hair and hazel eyes, and whose smile rivalled that of the Mona Lisa.

"Is that your wife?" Gray wondered.

"Well, she was supposed to be..." the man said, his voice trailing off.

"What do you mean?"

"A few years ago," he began, "I took her to this forest. The lake here was famous for casting a nearly perfect reflection of the moon and the evening sky, and she said she wanted to see it at least once in her lifetime. Back then, I had no idea of the dangers that lurked here."

"Dangers?" Juvia interrupted.

"I'm sure you must have had an encounter with the Vulcans already. They're not the only inhabitants here, and the lake houses far more dangerous creatures."

Sensing the growing impatience of the lad and the confusion of the girl, the man decided to summarize his story. He put the photograph back into his pocket and cleared his throat.

"We took a boat out to the center of the lake. That was when I took out a ring and proposed to her. I guess we were too caught up in the moment to notice that something was idly swimming beneath us. Suddenly, a tentacle split our boat in half, and I had to watch in horror as she was dragged to the bottom. After narrowly escaping that incident alive, I decided to live here. This was where she died, where her heart resides, and I couldn't bear to leave her alone. Up to now, I still wonder why I was the one who survived. If you ask me, she should be the one..."

Juvia covered her mouth, trying to hide the shock and grief that overcame her, but her wide eyes and slightly trembling hand gave her away. The man smiled at her, as if telling her there was no need to be so sad.

"I've asked countless guilds to help me find the ring I dropped. They all refused, though. They said it was nearly impossible to find such a small object in all that water. Apparently, those people don't understand what it means to find that one object which connected you and the one you love in your last moments together." He stood and turned to face the two mages. "But," he said, "I'd understand if you also refused."

"We accept!" Gray said with a resolute expression, ignoring the surprised look on the man's face. "Right, Juvia?" He turned to the water mage who had been wiping the tears forming in her eyes. She nodded in response.


	3. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: **_College is a bummer! I barely have time to read or write fics. Sorry for the long delay, and this pathetic update._

_Well, the mission is dragging out slower than I expected. Probably 'coz school made me forget where the plot was supposed to go. I'll get it back on track, don't worry._

_Till then, please bear with me. _

_Oh yeah! Thanks to everyone who read, reviewed and faved. Sorry I can't reply to all of you. Exams and all that stuff... Still, you guys are the best! XD_

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><p>"These guys again?" Gray grimaced as several Vulcans surrounded them.<p>

"C-Could it be that they're after Gray-sama as well? Juvia will not let you have him without a fight!"

"Don't be ridiculous," Gray sighed.

The two mages were preparing to attack when the ground began to shake violently, knocking them off their feet. The wily beasts jeered in chorus as the sound of heavy footfall echoed across the forest.

"What..." Before Gray could even get halfway through his statement, a towering figure emerged from the bushes. With a swift blow, it sent the ice mage flying through several trees.

"Gray-sama!"

Juvia's eyes widened when she saw what had swatted Gray away like a fly. Its appearance was the same as any ordinary Vulcan, but this one was insanely huge and more muscular than any they have ever seen. Its topaz eyes glared at the water mage, and its lips curled into a cynical smirk.

"Juvia will not forgive anyone who hurts Gray-sama. Water Slicer!"

The jets of water failed to leave even the faintest sign of injury on the behemoth, but it did succeed in agitating it. It clasped its hands together and swung it down on Juvia like a hammer. The massive shockwaves from the attack nearly uprooted the surrounding trees, tearing away leaves from branches and sending birds scurrying in every direction. A loud peal of laughter escaped its mouth as it turned its back to leave, assuming that the opponent had been disintegrated from the attack.

"Drip, drip, drop..."

The creature spun on its heels upon hearing those words. Countless drops of water were assimilating, forming the image of the woman it had presumably flattened. It picked up a rock and hurled it at Juvia, only to be disgruntled when the blunt projectile simply went through her body.

"Physical attacks cannot hurt Juvia. Drip, drip, drop..."

Nobody really noticed that it had begun raining. They were too focused on the blue-haired mage whose aura had considerably darkened. The pack had fallen silent, trembling at the sight of the violent streams of water whirling around her. Even the titanic beast was noticeably fazed. Two giant waves of water tossed the large brute into the air and slammed him to the ground, knocking him out and sending tremors throughout the forest. The other Vulcans frantically tried to flee, only to find themselves mysteriously encased in ice. Gray appeared from the foliage, covered in scratches but relatively fine. Upon seeing him, Juvia's eyes lit up and the rain quickly ceased.

"Gray-sama! Are you hurt?"

"I'm fine." His eyes shifted from Juvia to the enormous figure lying unconscious on the ground, then back to Juvia again. "Woah, what happened to him?"

"Eh?" She tilted her head in confusion, as if she had no idea of what had happened.

"Never mind... Let's go."

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><p>"Hey Lucy, you're being unusually quiet. Are you okay?" Natsu asked, too busy walking to bother looking back at the person he was talking to.<p>

"_What do you mean_ _unusually quiet_? That is what she says."

"What?" Natsu quickly turned around and saw Lucy curled up inside Horologium. "When did _he_ come out?"

"_You haven't been paying attention, have you? I summoned him ages ago!_ That is what she says."

"I say Lucy's just too lazy to walk," Happy snickered.

"_Says the cat who flies around all the time..._ That is what she says."

"Hey, keep quiet! I think something's coming this way," Natsu said. He began conjuring flames in his right hand. "Karyuu no..."

"_Natsu...! _That is what she says."

"...Tekken!" He lashed out at the first figure that emerged from the bushes and punched it with all his might.

"Gray-sama!"

"_That voice... Juvia?_ That is what she says."

"Give me a break! That's the second time I've been punched today! Huh? Natsu?" Gray grunted, gently rubbing his cheek.

"G-Gray? What the hell are you doing here? Shouldn't you be on a job?"

"I _am_ on a job, idiot! What about you? What the hell are _you_ doing here?"

"Lucy, Happy, and me are on a job, too. We're looking for a ring some clumsy lover-boy dropped in a river."

"_It's a lake, not a river!_ That is what she says," Horologium interrupted with his usual monotone.

"River, lake... They both have water so it's not really important."

"What I wanna know is how you three ended up with the same job as us. I thought that man said he only sent one request to Fairy Tail," Gray said.

"Man? What man?" Natsu gave him a bewildered look.

"So you mean a young man didn't hire you guys?"

"Aye! A beautiful woman was the one who hired us. She said her fiancée dropped their engagement ring in the lake," Happy explained.

"But," Juvia said, "that can't be possible."


	4. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: **_Uh yeah, sorry for the slow updates. I'm finally getting to the action. And thank you to everyone who's still supporting this story despite my writer's block. XD_

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><p>"<em>Love can transcend reality." <em>

"_She means that woman you saw... is already dead." _

Juvia and Gray's words echoed in Lucy's mind as she stared at her reflection.

"That's so sad. She couldn't even rest peacefully knowing her fiancée was desperately looking for that ring. I guess... that's true love," she mumbled to herself. Suddenly, she felt a hand rest on her shoulder. She peered at the water's surface and saw Natsu standing behind her with Happy floating just above.

"Hey Lucy, time to find that ring." His voice was mellower than what she was used to.

"Y-Yeah."

"Now that we know there's someone who can't find peace till we find that ring, we can't stop until this job is finished," Gray said. "Juvia, you're up!"

She reached out her hand, as if trying to grasp the expanse of the lake, and her magic seal began to materialize. The water became turbulent, slowly being warped inwards until it formed a sort of cave-like entrance. Juvia gestured for the others to proceed.

"Is it safe to go inside that thing?" Lucy asked.

"This is a variation of Juvia's Water Dome. Think of it as a bubble to keep air in and water out. With this, Juvia and her friends can walk freely on the lakebed. This will be an easier way to search instead of swimming."

"Nice work, Juvia!"

"Uh... Gray-sama! T-Thank you..."

"I'm all fired up! Let's go, Happy, Lucy. Last one there is a stinky fish!" cooed the Dragon Slayer as he dashed into the dome.

"Natsu, wait up!"

"Aye!"

"Geez, those idiots should take this job more seriously," grunted the ice mage.

"Gray-sama, aren't you going in?"

"Yeah... after you," he said with the most gentlemanly tone and gesture he could muster. The dome almost collapsed when Juvia's face turned red and her whole body quivered, prompting annoyed reactions from the trio already inside.

The underwater view left them in awe. The lake had been deeper than it appeared on the surface, reaching to a depth where light was almost non-existent. Natsu's flames served as a makeshift torch to help them see in the murky surroundings. The coral reefs could almost be called aquatic bungalows, and schools of fish passed by like cars in a busy street. It was like a crude city whose "residents" went on with their daily activities without a care in the world. That is, until something stirred the peaceful atmosphere.

"What was that?"

"Juvia feels something is headed this way. Everyone, brace yourself!"

No sooner had the words left her mouth, an enormous torpedo-like figure darted through them, disrupting Juvia's concentration enough to cause her dome to fall apart. Luckily, she anticipated it and used her magic to push them back to the surface. Five heads broke through the water and desperately gasped for air. Gray was in the process of making an ice bridge back to the shore when something coiled around his torso and pulled him back under.

"Gray-sama!"

"C'mon! Barely five minutes in and we already get attacked?"

"We need to get back to dry land," Happy cried out.

"But whatever that thing is, it's circling us! No way it's gonna just let us...That's it!"

All eyes fell upon Lucy whose face lit up with determination.

"You thought of something?"

"Open the Gate of the Water-bearer... Aquarius!" Lucy plunged one of her golden keys into the water and a blue-haired mermaid clad in a blue bikini top and wielding an urn emerged. She was clearly upset about being summoned and glared daggers at the stellar spirit mage.

"I told you _not_ to bother me, didn't I? Or are you that eager to die?"

"I-Is it just me or does she seem scarier than usual?" Natsu whimpered.

"It's just you. Aquarius is always this grumpy when I summon her, but she's our ticket back to the shore. Just watch."

The irate stellar spirit was bent on releasing her anger regardless of who gets caught up in it. She conjured up a massive wave which swept away the Fairy Tail mages and hurled them to the coast. Before disappearing, she shot one final angry look at Lucy and threatened to put her in a coma if she ever disturbed her again.

Juvia's head was still spinning as an aftermath of Aquarius' viciousness. "W-where's... Gray... sama?"

"Oh no, I think he's still..." Lucy's sentence was cut short when the entire lake suddenly froze over and hand punched through to the surface.

"That's ..." Natsu blasted a hole through the ice and lugged a barely conscious Gray Fullbuster back to the girls. He gently placed his head on the water mage's lap and gave a long, worried look. "Juvia, watch over him. Lucy, Happy, let's go!"

"Aye!"

"Take care of Gray, Juvia!"

The battle with the still unknown enemy would take place at the center of the frozen lake. Several tentacles had broken through the ice and began thrashing about. One of them just barely missed latching onto the Dragon Slayer, and Natsu was quick to retaliate with a fiery punch that left the tentacle limp. Meanwhile, another tentacle was slowly choking the life out of a helpless Happy.

"Open the Gate of the Golden Bull... Taurus!"

A large, bipedal bovine wielding an axe materialized and effortlessly sliced through the wriggling limb. Lucy caught the unconscious Exceed as he plummeted to the ground and ordered Taurus to continue chopping down the remaining tentacles.

"I'd do anything to protect your deliciously perfect body Lucy! Moo!"

The battle raged on as Gray slowly regained his consciousness. Looking up, he was met by Juvia's concerned gazed. She gently brushed away a lock of his hair and caressed his face.

"Gray-sama, are you okay?"

"Y-Yeah... I'm fine, but where are the others?"

"They're fighting over there. Juvia thinks we should help them."

"No. We should go back under and find that ring."

"Eh?"

"I trust them, Juvia. They won't be defeated by something as stupid as a tentacle-monster. While they keep it busy, the two of us should focus on the main objective of this mission. We'll help them after we finish that."

"That is if there's still anything left to help them with."

"Exactly. Now let's go, Juvia!"

"I will follow you to the ends of the world, Gray-sama!"


End file.
